Saturday, July 31, 2010

Relaxing Day at Home

Finally....a relaxing day at home!! We all really needed the rest. Evan behaved and kept busy with some puzzles we picked up for him at Target. He also used his chalkboard & is getting good at writing his letters. Might stay home and relax tomorrow too....I could get used to this. lol

Friday, July 30, 2010

Evan's Ocean Lapbook

Evan's ocean lapbook (big brother was a big help in helping complete it). We all had so much fun with this & Evan loves it =)



Back to School.......

Very sad that my sister in law & her family leave early tomorrow morning. We had to say our goodbye's tonight because they have to leave around 2am. They spent a whole week with us then went to a few theme parks in Orlando this past week. I'm gonna miss the company....I sometimes hate being so far away from everyone I know but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world (well.....maybe I would trade it in for a beach house in Hawaii). lol Anyways, the countdown to school has begun!! I have to get a move on things because Gio's school uniform still has to be ordered. I also still have to get Koko's school clothes & buy them shoes & backpacks. We try to shop smart but the uniforms always end up costing us an arm & a leg (>200 bucks for Gio's school uniforms alone)!! I shouldn't complain though because he goes to an excellent school. Thank God Evan's school supplies are all taken care of. We got some him some great, inexpensive school clothes at the outlets plus we got 15% off of our purchase at The Children's Place (I love that store). It's so easy getting stuff for Evan because he could care less what clothes we make him put on. lol Gio, on the other hand is super picky & his clothes have to fit him just right or he won't wear them....he's not into baggy clothes like the rest of us. Gio's birthday is coming up as well. July & August are tough on us because we have so many birthdays in the family along with the task of getting ready for school. Talk about a double whammy! One good thing is that my cousin Lisa & my baby girl, Alison, are coming to visit around the end of August......I can't wait!! It's always a relief to have some girls in this house other than myself  =)

~~“The difference between school and life? In school, you're taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you're given a test that teaches you a lesson.”~~

Friday, July 23, 2010

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Summer Visit



Having a great time with the family!! We went to the beach & to the Children's Museum the day after and the boys had a blast!! Took a detour to Ikea and got a cool desk for Koko for only $25!! I love that store.....I just wish it wasn't so far away. I couldn't join the family this morning....had to get 2 intraforaminal injections in my lower back. Had to wait an eternity in the waiting room....so aggravating but my doctor is good & I only trust him with those huge needles. lol The shots hurt like crazy though!! Afterwards, I hobbled over to Toys R Us to redeem one of Evan's gift cards from his B-day & I got him an awesome easel....I was happy to see that it rang up to be $10 cheaper than the price on the sign!! He absolutely loves painting & drawing & I am so happy that one of my boys finally inherited my love of art =) Evan had swimming lessons today but I couldn't make it thanks to my back. It hurts so bad that I can't even cross my legs (bad habit). Anyways.....was able to put together a great taco meal (my SIL & her husband are still raving about the tacos I made them during their last visit).  Oh, and we got a cake for both my SIL & hubby who share B-days just 3 days apart & the cake had cream cheese filling....super delicious!! Read the boys a few books and thank God they fell asleep fairly quickly cause I desperately needed some meds & my heating pad. Regardless of my back issues....we've had some great laughs. It's gonna be rough when they leave & I am stuck here all alone again with the boys as hubby goes back to work 24-7. 

~~Other things may change us, but we start and end with family~~
           ~~A happy family is but an earlier heaven~~

Friday, July 16, 2010

Imperfections

Once again....a long, exhausting day!!! Preparing for my sister in law to arrive with her family. We are so excited to see them!!! I'm starting to feel like I feel a vacation myself.  My neck & back pain is out of control & it gets soooo hard for me to function but, I do what I can. Thank God the boys step in and help do most of the hard stuff when hubby is at work. Not sure what I would do without them. I can't help to want things neat & in order (I'm a Virgo....it's in my nature). Plus, it's the way I was raised. If I made 1 spelling error on my homework, it would be ripped up & I'd have to start again. Whatever questions I got wrong on a test....I'd have to write a hundred times so I wouldn't forget it. Oh, and whoever knows me well, knows that I ALWAYS had to clean.....everything!! I remember not being able to find socks for church & my mom dumped the whole drawer & made me perfectly match all of my socks. It never made me learn....it just made me resent my mother & wants things to be perfect & lets face it, that doesn't exist. Anyway, now that I have my own kids, I let them make mistakes, I let them cross things out on their homework even though I secretly wish they would just do it over =) They don't always get every question right on their tests but I applaud them for their effort. They don't always keep their rooms perfectly neat, but I want them to learn that imperfection is okay. I don't want them to be like me.....if I write something & it's not neat enough, I do it over. If there's a mess or something to be done....I stress about it. I'm learning that being a bit sloppy is okay (just take a peek in my closet & you'll see it's true). lol It's crazy that it took years to teach me to go above & beyond...to be a neat freak and now I ask, "for what"?? I remember I used to argue with my mom about making my bed every morning. I use to say "why does it matter?? No one's gonna see it anyway!!" Now that I am grown....I rarely make my bed =) Trying hard to be perfect knowing that it's never attainable is just setting yourself up for disappointment. It's not as fun as just letting go & being a kid!

~~The fastest way to break the cycle of perfectionism and become a fearless mother is to give up the idea of doing it perfectly - indeed to embrace uncertainty and imperfection.~~

~~There is a kind of beauty in imperfection~~

Monday, July 12, 2010

Evan Turns 4!!!

So happy that my baby boy turned 4 today. Still a bit sad that he's growing way too fast but on the other hand, I'm happy at how independent he has become. He really wanted a Phineas & Ferb cake so I slaved over it until it came out decent. lol
My 2 older boys were away at Nickelodeon Studios  for 3 days with my hubby's cousin & family & they had a blast!  I wasn't used to so much silence at home. lol Evan missed them like crazy & was so happy that they arrived just in time to watch him blow his candles out =) We also had some family come visit & I was really happy to see them....we had such a great time! I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

Today was super busy....Evan had his well check up & then all 3 of the boys had their dental cleaning. No cavities for Evan (I was surprised cause he is so stubborn & always wants to brush his teeth by himself). We ended up at Chuck E Cheese's and everyone who knows me, knows how I dread that place but Evan wanted to go there for his B-day so we took him and he had a great time. He got icecream afterwards and then took a 3 hour nap when we got home.....we actually had to wake him up =)